Soaking in Success: A Case Study on Billabong Spas

To say that retail shopping is exploding online is an understatement. During the pandemic, experts predicted that the digital revolution would speed up, but it even surpassed their expectations.

During the pandemic years, smart businesses embraced new website and online store technology and really made it work. Other businesses, Billabong Spas being one of them, could see the potential long before the pandemic.

About Billabong Spas

When the company opened its doors,  it did so online. It has no warehouse or retail premises. A bold and brave move, because while it might make good sense if you’re a fashion retailer or a gift shop, does the same actually apply if you’re selling larger household items?

The answer is yes. The Billabong Spas success story is a testament to the fact that in this day and age you don’t need bricks and mortar and all of the unnecessary overheads that go with them.

Billabong Spas has a virtual ‘showroom’, which allows potential purchasers to shop at their leisure. The site is packed with great photos and detailed product information as well as useful blogs which aim to educate customers so they can make an informed choice.

But that’s only one part of the online strategy, the other is just as vital – ensuring a steady stream of ‘qualified’ traffic to the website as well as using various techniques to convert ‘browsers’ into ‘buyers’. And that’s where SEO for Small Business Australia has really helped the company to continue to grow.

“From the outset, we always help our clients to optimise their website – basically this means ensuring the site functions well. We help with URL structure and information architecture around navigation. We also make sure that all clients have migrated to HTTPS (secure site) and make recommendations to ensure good load speeds on desktop and mobile. Once that groundwork is underway, we work on the longer-term strategies to build brand, and bring customers to the site,” explains Bill Vasilliadis, founder of SEO for Small Business Australia. 

Results-driven strategies

For Billabong Spas, we’ve done a lot of work around keyword research, and optimisation. This is a client who is brave enough to try new strategies, and this is vital. Sometimes we get it absolutely right, other times we learn as we go, but having the flexibility and the go-ahead for the SEO team to try new ideas has really opened up opportunities we might not have otherwise seen, and the results speak for themselves.”

And so what are the numbers? 

For the period May 2021 – December 2021:

• Organic traffic increased by approximately 85% from the year before during this period.
• Organic Conversions during 2021 increased by approximately 355%, compared to 2020.
• Google Ads (paid traffic) increased by approximately 183% in 2021, compared to 2020.
• Google Ads Conversions increased by approximately 293% during 2021 compared to 2020

Keys to success online

“We’ve done some advertising, and we ensure that content on the website is regularly reviewed and updated. Of course, one of the fundamental reasons for the success of the online store is that it’s backed by excellent service,” says Bill.

“Murray and Caroline (owner-operators) make sure their team responds quickly to every call and every email, and that provides assurance to customers. The company offers good quality products too, which leads to excellent reviews, which also add to consumer confidence.

“Online retail is a changing and evolving space. It offers exciting challenges for SEO experts to ensure their clients stand out in an increasingly competitive space. We’re happy with what we’ve achieved for Billabong Spas, but it’s really their adaptability and flexibility in decision-making around the strategy that allows us to change things up when necessary to get the best results.”

What does the client say?

“It’s been a pleasure to work with Bill,” says Murray Roach of Billabong Spas. “The results have been amazing. The team is competent, and they communicate well with us to ensure we understand what’s required. We can’t fault the customer service, and as a company that prides ourselves on good service, we are pretty discerning!”

“It’s also really good to work with another small business too because they recognise the issues that small businesses have, particularly when they’re growing, and that shared understanding is very valuable.”